Happy 1st Birthday, Kailer!!

In less than 2 hours, it will "officially" be my little boy's 1st birthday! Impossible - honestly, it just doesn't even seem possible that a year has passed since I was given the best gift on Earth. I literally spent the day reminiscing about what I was doing last year on this day. It was a Friday, Dan was at the academy, and I was on day #2 of bed rest. I had my regularly scheduled weekly OB appointment. When I went in, I got the news I had expected - they wanted to admit me to the hospital that night to start the induction process! I remember thinking, "Really, this baby is really going to be here within 24 hours?" It was so surreal to me. Dan got home from Helena around 5 and after cleaning up and gathering our gear we headed to Wendy's for a bite to eat (I had a milkshake with my dinner - a little treat for that little baby in me!) before heading to the hospital. I had been admitted for 19 1/2 hours before Kailer made his appearance! It was another 8 hours before I got to hold him, but that very second when he was placed in my arms - well, it's changed my life forever!!

Kailer must have been feeling my little bit of baby blues tonight, because he gingerly snuggled up in my arms tonight after his bath and fell into a peaceful slumber. I just kept staring at him in my arms and having flashbacks of the day he was born. He's changed and grown so much. He's become the joy of our day ... the meaning to our life ... the key-holder of our hearts ... the laughter that fills our home. I never imagined that having a child would make me feel this way.

Tomorrow we are heading to WY to celebrate his 1st birthday with family in Newcastle. I know I'll have plenty of photos to post after we get back. Thank you all for taking the time to follow the life of Kailer for the past year. I hope you've enjoyed "watching" him grow - he truly is my little angel.

Just a little of the sides, please!

Kailer got his second hair-cut last night by Daddy. He was starting to get his little blonde "wings" again behind his ears, so it was time for a trim. I told Dan, "just a little off the sides," but he thought his whole head could be trimmed up a bit. So here they are - Kailer getting his second hair-cut of his little life. Looking like he might be getting into trouble ...
Being patient....

What a cheese-head!!

Wait 'til we get our Hanes on you...

I imagine that many people will be putting their cotton tee's on their heads, if they can look this adorable!!

I'm gonna miss this!

With only a week left until my baby turns 1, I'm feeling a little bit of "baby blues" coming on. How is it possibly that a year has passed since this little person entered our life? It doesn't seem real - I vividly recall holding my 5 lb. baby in the hospital and thinking, "He's so tiny, I might break him." Now he is almost walking and keeping us on our toes daily!
I look at him and see him growing up so fast; and though I know it's part of life it saddens me that it goes by so quickly. Tonight he actually snuggled in my arms for about 15 minutes, as I sang nursery rhymes to him and then he fell asleep. It was so peaceful. I held him as long as I could, kissing the top of his soft head, gently rubbing his legs, and looking at his little hands. I put off "chores" that should have been done, but definitely could wait! I'm sure going to miss these times as he grows up and becomes more independent and "too big" to fall asleep in my lap. I love you Kailer!

You Can Make Any Kid Smile With ....

...KETCHUP! Fun Facts About Ketchup:

*First produced in 1876

* Heinz sells more than 11 billion single-serve packets annually (that's two packets for every person on Earth)

*Ketchup is present in more than 96% of households; this is more than salt and pepper

*Kids eat 50% more ketchup than adults

...And At The End Of The Day....

Our lives recently have taken on a multitude of changes in what has seemed like a short amount of time. Thankfully most of the changes have been positive ones; which has helped to keep our spirits up!
Thanks to some local county commissioners lining their pockets and fattening their wallets, there's a good possibility that Dan (and probably a couple of other deputies as well) will no longer be employed with Gallatin County as of July 1. Nothing is for sure, and we're remaining positive, but we're also being proactive and looking at our options in case he is laid off. There is a lot of detail that goes into this, but to sum it up, it has to do with some funding issues (isn't that always the problem?). Lucky for us, we already had intentions of putting our house on the market by the end of the month, so we'll continue with that plan. Not sure what our future will bring if he gets laid off, but of course we'll keep you posted. As I said, we're remaining positive and we truly believe that everything in life happens for a reason and this is just one of those reasons.
On a brighter note, our weather has taken a turn for the better and we have been spending a lot of time outdoors. It's almost a fight to get Kailer to stay inside! :) That's okay, though, I'm glad he enjoys it and it's really helped to lift our spirits after a long winter.
This week I became a mom who was literally "needed" every 3-4 hours to a mom who doesn't have that demand any longer. As I made my decision to stop nursing Kailer, I also decided that we might as well get all of the tears and anxiety over with at once and I chose to take him off the bottle (which he used to get once in awhile at home and of course at the sitter's). I'm going to be honest, the first day was hard, for both of us!! But we've now made it through day 3 and Kailer is doing really well with his sippy cups. I'm so proud of him and how easily he's transitioned. In truth, the whole process was probably a bit harder for me than him; again just another symbol of him growing up.

And last, but not least, on Tuesday evening Kailer took some "baby step" on his own!! I just happened to catch him doing it out of the corner of my eye, or I probably wouldn't have even known. Since then he's continued to test the water with those baby steps -- he's just not quite confident to do it full blown, yet! Besides, why walk when crawling is much faster! :)

Here's Kailer on the couch with a beater ... he had them strung all the way from the garage door to the living room. As Dan calls him, "A 20# tornado." :)


Looking stylish in his summer outfit!

So, at the end of the day - when all of the chaos of the day has come to an end, the only thing that matters to us is our little Bug. He truly is the love of our life.

*And as I now see from this picture, it must be mandatory to sleep on your belly if you sleep in the crib with Kailer (i.e. look at his stuffed animals!) . Silly kid.

A Fish Story

We had swim lessons this morning, Goldfish for a snack and this adorable fish outfit - it was a fishy day!Happy Boy!

Showing me how old he's going to be ... okay, so it was just a fluke that he had 1 finger up, but still ... I can pretend! ;)

(In truth, the look on is face makes me think that maybe that's not the finger he wanted up?!?! Hmmmm)

Go Speed Racer, Go!!

With pure blue skies and the warm sun shining down on us, the angels from above finally blessed us with a "true" Spring day. It was great to be outside, getting some fresh air and much needed Vitamin D!
Kai-bug thoroughly enjoyed moving at mach speeds while playing with his Hippo car. I'm afraid at this speed we'll be needed new shoes sooner than I had originally anticipated. I'm told that children go from crawling to running - and now I have no doubt in my mind. Poor Mr. Hippo may need some new wheels soon if we keep this up!

This was the 1st video I took and I was laughing so hard because of how fast he was moving - it was cute to see his little legs just a goin' as fast as they could!

Sixth Man

While dawning his "Air Puppy-Dog" sneakers, Kailer showed off some of his basketball skills. Due to our recent crummy weather, he practiced indoors....not something that will be allowed for very long! :) I have a feeling that someday he may be part of the Dream Team - even if the Dream Team is him and his Dad playing HORSE in the driveway. He'll always be our #1 player.

He's already figured it out, one hand at a time - No Double Dribbling!

Time Out!! Taking a break on the bench.

"Phew, this basketball stuff is exhausting!"

Peek-A-Boo Baby

Okay, so it's May 10, and I'm still dressing Kailer in fleece coats with hats for a little outdoor time. C'mon Spring!!!

A Mother's Wisdom

Since I've become a mom, I've come to realize:

*Watching your baby sleep is "being productive." *Moms make a great napkin. *It IS possible to roll out a pie crust with one hand. *There's always laundry to be done ... and little socks missing. *A few bites of dog food wont make a child sick. *You never really "forget" the pain of child birth, you just respect your body in a whole new way. *Watching your child get immunizations is one of the worst things you will go through. *You can fully function on 2 hours of sleep ... month after month. *It does get easier to take your child to the baby-sitter, but you're always just as excited to pick them up at the end of the day. *EVERYONE is willing to share parenting advice. *You will get pee'd on, repeatedly. *The love for your child multiples and compounds daily. *I no longer go into complete "panic mode" any more if my house isn't spotless. *No matter how bad of a day I thought I was having, my baby always finds a way to make it all better. *The laughter of a child can warm an entire house. *Those little finger nails are hard to clip! *Give me 10 minutes to myself and I can take a 9 1/2 minute nap. *Hand-me-down toys and clothes are a blessing. *Diaper, diapers and more diapers!! *All the baby accessories may not hav been necessary, but boy were they helpful! *Being a mom is a lot more work than I ever imagined -- but totally worth it! *Date night is a movie on the couch and I totally dig it. *A baby can sleep though the sound of the vacuum at 10 p.m. *You're not a bad mother when you stop doing everything "by the book;" it's just too demanding. *When you finally get to go to bed, you will lie there questioning your parenting skills. *It's okay to make up words to nursery rhymes that you've forgotten. *There's not a whole lot on t.v. at 3 a.m. *The pediatrician always runs late. *Nursing my child was the best bonding experience of my life. *Dad CAN do a great job, even if it's not my way! *Flying with a 6 month old is challenging. *"Crying it out" is okay - though initially incredibly heart-breaking. *A routine for a baby is critical. *Holidays have a whole new meaning. *Spray 'n Wash is my best friend. *You're never bored. *I've never talked so much to someone without getting a response. *I like the smell of Desitin. *I have a whole new respect for my Mom and her role in my life. *Running 10 minutes late is allowed. *My shopping is closely scheduled around nap and feeding time. *It's always easier to wake up to a crying baby than an annoying alarm clock. *I can never kiss my baby enough. *Pulling that tiny, slippery infant out of the bathtub for the first time is scary! *I had 28 years to grow, mature and become a woman who would become a mother and now I am blessed with a wonderful son and family! *I am so very lucky to be a mother.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Silence...

When there's silence in a house with a toddler (I can't believe I'm saying I have a toddler) and you know he's not sleeping in his crib ... well, you always brace yourself for what you might find, when you find him.
A few weeks ago I had left Kailer by the screen door while I went to put away some yard tools. Dan was in the house and I figured that Kailer would sit by the door and watch me. When I came back in, he was gone so I asked Dan, "Do you have Kailer?" "No," was his reply. So I headed to the laundry room - No Kailer, then to our room - No Kailer and then finally I heard a familiar sound .. Mesa's food being dumped! Kailer was behind the door happily playing in her food! I fished two morsels of dog food out of his mouth. I don't think he swallowed any, but it's hard to say. So now I say to Mesa, "You better eat your food before Kailer gets to it."
So this week when silence fell in the house on a morning when I was folding laundry, I held my breath as I went to look for the next disaster! :) Which actually turned out to be better than I had anticipated ....... So needless to say, around here we don't say, "What happened to the (fill in the blank)?" Instead we say, "Did you see WHO (a.k.a. Kailer) happened to the (fill in the blank)?" Never a dull moment around here, that's for sure!

Mr. Kleen!

There's just something about a big object that makes lots of noise that Kailer really likes! He has enjoyed crawling around after the vacuum and on this particular day he was investigating it ... he's such a curious little guy! Do you suppose he'll enjoy the vacuum as much when he's actually big enough to use it? Yeah, I don't think so either. :)